12 comments:

For those interested, the billboard had an arrow pointing to the ground at an actual graveyard and an arrow pointing to a church nearby, and it read "Before you end up here (graveyard), go here (church)."

This is what I've heard all my life, but now I'm reading a gospel, and, I'm really surprised, but the Jesus I'm reading about really is a jerk. A big one. He lies, doesn't follow his own advice, disses his parents and non-Jews. So i have to disagree with this point.

That's true, Jesus also said stuff like that it would be better for someone to be drowned than to lead others from God. Perhaps this is why I don't follow Jesus or his teachings, even though you can do so without the religions (which are honestly worse).

Bret, The destruction of the temple is not mentioned in any of the gospels. If they were written after the destruction surely such a major event would have been recorded. Especially since the fulfilled prophesy would have added to the validity of the Christian message.

The chronology would make no sense. The four Gospels specifically detail the life of Jesus. If I were writing a biography of Joseph Smith, I would not include information about Mormon relocation to Utah, as this happened after Smith's death. Sure, it would add some victimhood to the tale, but it wouldn't fit because it was long after the fact.

Acts is a record of early church history and the destruction of 70 AD is not mentioned there either. Nor Nero's persecution of the Christians or the deaths/martyrs of Paul (64 AD) or Peter (65 AD). Acts 12 does mention the death of James, however, Peter and Paul are the primary figures of Acts so this suggests Acts was written prior to their deaths. Luke was written prior to Acts and Matthew and Mark prior to Luke. Almost all biblical scholars agree that the New Testament documents were written before the close of the first century when there would still have been eyewitnesses who could dispute any inaccuracies being recorded.